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Sik Son Department: Counseling, Adult and Higher Education

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Sik Son Department: Counseling, Adult and Higher Education ABSTRACT Name: Sik Son Department: Counseling, Adult and Higher Education Title: From Student Activism to a Way of Life: A Case Study of Student Activists-tumed-Peasant Activists in South Korea Major: Adult Education Degree: Doctor of Education Approved by: Date: oq 01 Dissd •tafjon Director NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Social movements have emerged as a new source of adult learning in the current literature of adult education. They offer different aspects of adult learning which have been put aside in institutional settings. In the institutional settings, the focus of adult education was placed on obtaining technical knowledge which enabled the learners to access better jobs based on individual competitions. The dichotomy between the educators as experts and the students as passive learners seems apparent and the existing power relation is seldom covered. Learning in social movements challenges the existing power relation, espouses collective learning, and gives more power to the learners as the subjects of their learning in a true sense. The current study was designed to explore this learning process in detail. Six Korean student activists-tumed-peasant activists participated in this study. They went to universities during the 1980s when South Korea suffered under military regimes. They became student activists energetically engaging in the pro­ democracy movement against the military dictatorships. On leaving universities, they turned themselves into peasants to engage in the peasant movement, which they thought was one of the key forces for Korean revolution. In their communities, they worked hard to transform themselves into peasants as well as organizing the communities for the peasant cause and social justice for over 15 years. In-depth Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. interviews and observations were used to explore their transformative learning process in their communities. The results show that the lives of the activists were full of transformative learning processes and the transformation has been sustained for over a decade. They learned from the peasants and the reality, modifying their vision for future. The discrepancy between their initial vision and the reality has been overcome through their practices. Experiential learning and collective learning were identified as key factors to speed up the learning process of the participants. They also developed their own pedagogy through their practices. Non-rationality factors, such as commitment, dialogue, and relation-building, were identified as key components in their pedagogy. Furthermore, social actions became the important places of learning for the participants. They went through personal transformation in the actions and obtained the critical knowledge to improve their practices. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY FROM STUDENT ACTIVISM TO A WAY OF LIFE: A CASE STUDY OF STUDENT ACTIVISTS-TURNED-PEASANT ACTIVISTS IN SOUTH KOREA A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF COUNSELING ADULT, AND HIGHER EDUCATION BY SIK SON DEKALB, ILLINOIS MAY 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3272168 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3272168 Copyright 2007 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Certification: In accordance with departmental and Graduate School policies, this dissertation is accepted in partial fulfillment of degree requirements. Dissert^uon/pirectoi tliu 09 01 Date / ANY U SE O F MATERIAL CONTAINED HEREIN M UST BE DULY ACKNOWLEDGED. THE AUTHOR'S PERMISSION MUST BE OBTAINED IF ANY PORTION IS TO BE PUBLISHED OR INCLUDED IN A PUBLICATION. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In Korea, when people achieved something important in their lives, the elders used to say to them, “Never think you achieved it because you were smart or excellent; you should think about the people who helped you to achieve your goal.” There won’t be a better time to remember the wise advice than now at the end of my graduate study. I’d like to express my sincere appreciation to people who helped, supported, and inspired me to finish my dissertation. I would like to thank to the participants of this study. They were the ones who made this study possible and their works for social justice are the beacon of hope for many adult educators who strongly believe that adult educators can play a role to build a more democratic and equitable society. I would like to thank to my committee members. Dr. Jorge Jeria guided my research and gave helpful comments in the whole process of my writing. He always believed in me and encouraged me to work hard. Dr. Rosemary Feurer broadened my perspective with her rich knowledge in the labor history of the United States, and I was fascinated by learning about the radical history. Dr. Lisa Baumgartner gave me great help when I struggled in my writing. She always gave me useful advice and support when I needed them. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. My special thanks also go to Dr. Phyllis Cunningham. She was always an inspiration and moral compass to me. Working with her and learning with her made me convinced that there are many things I can do as an adult educator for social justice. Without the conviction, I couldn’t finish this work. Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to my parents and my wife, Yonjoo Ryu, for their endless support and love. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................. ix Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY........................................................ 1 Introduction............................................................................................ 1 Purpose of the Study............................................................................. 4 Significance of the Study....................................................................... 5 Research Questions for the Study......................................................... 6 Researcher’s Background....................................................................... 7 Organization of the Study...................................................................... 10 Key Term s............................................................................................... 11 Limitations of the Study......................................................................... 12 2. METHODOLOGY.......................................................................... 13 Rationale for the Methodology................................................................ 13 Sample Selection....................................................................................... 14 Methods of Data Collection....................................................................... 14 In-depth Interviews.................................................................................. 15 Observations............................................................................................. 16 Documents................................................................................................ 17 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. vi Chapter Page Field notes and Analytical Memos............................................................... 17 Methods of Analysis........................................................................................ 17 Single Interviews.......................................................................................... 17 Multiple Interviews....................................................................................... 19 Validity Issues.................................................................................................. 19 Participant Selection..................................................................................... 19 Triangulation.................................................................................................
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